


The End Is Nearing

by TheYaoiChick



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Car Accidents, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Insecurity, POV Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Rivalry, Short, Unhappy Ending, does this count as angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-15 05:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20861096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheYaoiChick/pseuds/TheYaoiChick
Summary: Arthur is in the biggest race of his own career. He’s going to beat Gwaine this year, even if it means he has to die trying.





	The End Is Nearing

**Author's Note:**

> Well this is certainly different from my usual cause I'm a soft hearted writer and happy endings are my life's blood 😂
> 
> From this [Prompt Generator](https://thestoryshack.com/tools/writing-prompt-generator/?source=post_page-----2e10952788fe----------------------) with the prompts of:
> 
> 500 words, racer, wall, suspense, "This means war" and the sun is failing.
> 
> Not sure how well I did but it was fun 😂

** _Drip. Drip. Drip._ **

  
Sweat. Poring into his eyes and down his back. Palms so wet in his gloves it feels they’re wrapped in rain forest.  
He’s got a death grip on the wheel, and he swerves around the car in front of him.

  
He’s catching up, he’s catching up!

  
Damn. Where did that bolt of speed come from?

  
Bastard is playing with him. Slowing down just enough to tease him, just enough to where he thinks he as a chance of pulling a head then bam! He’s off a mile a head!

  
And what did he--? Right before he bolted a head again Arthur could have sworn the bastard saluted him. With that damn cocky smirk to boot!

  
“Alright then, that’s how you want to play it? Fine. Let's play. This means war,” Arthur said as he pressed his entire weight on the gas petal.

  
Five years. Five years Gwaine has beat him in these races.

  
Five years of hearing Gwen saying “Oh Arthur maybe next year.”

  
Five years of Morgana telling him “We’ll just have to train you even harder then! Make it so your doing this in your sleep! By time we’re done you’ll know this car inside out and sideways!”

  
Five years of his Father saying this is what he gets for not following into the family business, that he knew all he would get was _failure_. That he couldn’t even rebel right.

  
Five years of Merlin going on about how Gwaine has prepared just as much as he had, because of _course_ Merlin just had to be friends with his greatest rival. He couldn’t just support Arthur could he? Just be on his side knowing all he’s risked to pursuing his passion. Oh no not Merlin. He had to support them _both_. Be happy for Gwaine when he won. Not so much as a word in his defence when Gwaine held it over his head whenever they saw each other.

  
Well not this time. This time, they’ll be celebrating _him_. This year, they’ll be telling him they knew he could do it, and they never doubted his victory. This year, he’ll have a trophy to show his father he _wasn’t_ a failure. That he made the right choice by doing what he loved. This year, it’ll be _Gwaine_ who Merlin is comforting. Telling _Gwaine_ how much _Arthur_ has trained and how much he deserved this. Not saying a word when Arthur lords it over his head the way Gwaine has done every _god damn year past_. This is going to be Arthur’s year.

  
A sharp turn is coming up, he clutches the wheel and

_ **Frrooom ** _

  
Barely makes the turn.

  
Out of the side of his eye he sees a car riding his ass hard, and he swerves to make sure it can’t pass him up.

  
Gwaine is about to make the start of the last lap. Dammit. He needs to floor it!

  
_ **Crash!** _

  
“_Mother fucker where did that come from?_” he thinks to himself as his car begin to spin out of his control. The guy behind him reared his car, and now keeps crashing into him as they both try to regain control of their vehicles.

  
The sun shines directly into his eyes, doesn’t see the two new cars until they’re right on top of him.

  
**Boom. Crack. Crash!**

  
He’s disoriented. He’s pretty sure they crashed him right into the wall, but he can’t see through the blood dripping into his eyes. Can’t focus on anything but the spinning of his head, and the burning in his throat that’s holding back bile.

  
He feels more than he hears people trying to force open his door. Feels the shaking and the burst of air as they break the window and feels the press of hands as they pull him from the car.

  
He knows he’s probably in shock. Knows he should feel more pain, more fear since his life was in danger, more relief because he was still alive. But all he feels is numb. And all he thinks as they load him into the ambulance and he begins to fade into the darkness, faces of his worried loved ones blending into the background and tears filling his eyes, is this.

  
“_Again. I lost again. This was supposed to be my year. I let them all down again. Father was right. I’m just a failure._”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments make my world go round~ Even if it's just extra kudos or a string of emojis~💙


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